Category: News

  • Green Mountain Open – Tournament Champion

    Congratulations to Sensei Jill Chastenay, who took two first place trophies and won the Female Black Belt Grand Championship at the Green Mountain Open in Rutland, VT, on Saturday, March 28th.

    For a complete list of our dojo’s tournament champions, click on the “Trainers of Champions!” link on the front page of our website.

  • Spring Little Ninjas Program

    Little Ninjas will be starting up for this Spring!

    Classes will run on Saturdays, from 9 to 9:45am, starting on March 14th.

    Registrations can be taken before or after the class session on this day.  Students should wear comfortable clothes that they can move in.

    To ensure program quality, class size is limited to ten students.

  • July 2014 Calendar and Events

    Happy Summer! I hope this finds you well and in good spirits, and looking forward to Independence Day. Just a note to go along with this month’s dojo calendar, to highlight some of the upcoming events…

    Starting this month, we will be moving to Summer Class Hours. This will affect some classes, but not all, and will run during the months of July and August.
    • Mondays
    o 5:05 – 5:35pm Junior Beginner
    o 5:40 – 6:40pm Junior Novice/Intermediate
    o 6:45 – 7:45pm Teen/Adult Novice/Intermediate
    • Tuesdays
    o 5:30 – 6:45pm Kobudo
    o 6:45 – 7:15pm Teen/Adult Beginner
    o 7:15 – 8:30pm Advanced
    • Wednesdays
    o 5:05 – 5:35pm Junior Beginner
    o 5:40 – 6:40pm Junior Novice/Intermediate
    o 6:45 – 7:45pm Teen/Adult Novice/Intermediate
    • Thursdays
    o 5:30 – 6:45pm Advanced
    o 6:45 – 7:15pm Teen/Adult Beginner
    • Fridays
    o 5:05 – 5:35pm Junior Beginner
    o 5:40 – 6:40pm Junior Novice/Intermediate
    • Saturdays
    o 10:00 – 11:00am Kobudo
    o 11:05 – 12:05pm All Ages, Purple Belt & Above

    Bring-A-Friend, Break-A-Board Night has been moved to Monday, July 7th. Cost is $5 per board. Each of our students will receive one free board for each non-karate friend whom they bring for this event. Please sign up for boards in advance, so that I can plan how many I need to have ready for you! Proceeds from this event go towards the dojo scholarship fund. (Note: Boards are available for anyone who is planning to bring a friend and break a board on Monday, June 30th, so no need to change plans if you were planning to attend on 6/30.)

    Karate Camp will run the week of July 14-18 this year. This is open to kids aged 7 to 14, and runs from 9am until noon each day. As always, no karate experience is needed – camp features sessions for current karate students to work at their level, as well as sessions for new students to learn some basic techniques. (In fact, new students have the opportunity to complete the entire white belt curriculum in one week of camp, and then begin classes at the Purple Belt level.) Cost is $100 for the week; space is limited, and a $25 deposit will reserve your spot. Please note: you will receive a 10% discount for each non-karate friend that you bring to camp!

    This month’s Special Topics Class will be held on Saturday, July 19th, from 11:05am to 12:05pm. The class will feature the Kata Ananku-Sho, the first kata of the Shorin Ryu Karate-do system. Participants must have Kata Gekisai Dai Ichi in order to attend. There is no cost for Special Topics sessions.

    If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a great day!

    Hanshi

  • Summer Class Hours

    Starting in July, we will be moving to Summer Class Hours. This will affect some classes, but not all, and will run through the end of August.

    Summer hours will run as follows…

    • Mondays
    o 5:05 – 5:35pm Junior Beginner
    o 5:40 – 6:40pm Junior Novice/Intermediate
    o 6:45 – 7:45pm Teen/Adult Novice/Intermediate
    • Tuesdays
    o 5:30 – 6:45pm Kobudo
    o 6:45 – 7:15pm Teen/Adult Beginner
    o 7:15 – 8:30pm Advanced
    • Wednesdays
    o 5:05 – 5:35pm Junior Beginner
    o 5:40 – 6:40pm Junior Novice/Intermediate
    o 6:45 – 7:45pm Teen/Adult Novice/Intermediate
    • Thursdays
    o 5:30 – 6:45pm Advanced
    o 6:45 – 7:15pm Teen/Adult Beginner
    • Fridays
    o 5:05 – 5:35pm Junior Beginner
    o 5:40 – 6:40pm Junior Novice/Intermediate
    • Saturdays
    o 10:00 – 11:00am Kobudo
    o 11:05 – 12:05pm All Ages, Purple Belt & Above

  • Student Resource Pages Launched

    Rising Sun Martial Arts has launched a series of student resource pages aimed at giving students a better handle on the terminology, protocols, and philosophies of karate.  The White Belt page began distribution tonight (2/6/14) in classes, with other levels to follow in successive months.

    The White Belt pages features information such as…

    • The name of our style and the English translation.
    • Procedures for the opening and closing of class.
    • Selected Japanese terminology (with pronunciations).
    • The belt color sequence.
    • Instructions for folding your gi.
    • And more!

    New students entering the dojo will be given a folder containing the White Belt page and a copy of the Dojo Rules.  As they progress through the ranks, more pages will be added.

    To bring current students up to speed, Hanshi will be distributing folders (containing the White Belt page and a copy of the Dojo Rules) to Junior students.  Adults students will receive the White Belt page, with the thought that they can supply their own folders as they desire.

    The Purple Belt page is scheduled to be distributed in March.

  • New England Classic Tournament Results

    Congratulations to all who participated in the New England Classic tournament (2/1/14) at Franklin Pierce University.  Results from our dojo are as follows…

    • Sensei Amelia Gallup – 1st Place Kata / 1st Place Kobudo / Grand Champion Kata
    • Sensei Jill Chastenay – 2nd Place Kata / 2nd Place Kumite.
    • Michael H. – 4th Place Kata.
    • Aiden K. – 5th Place Kata / 5th Place Kumite.

    You have represented our dojo well, and we are proud of you all!

  • Recent Promotions

    Congratulations to those students who tested for and earned their next level of rank this month at the dojo…

    Bill and Hayden were promoted to the level of Rokyu (1st Degree Green Belt) at a ceremony immediately following the test on Friday night (1/24/14).
    Beth and Fran received their Blue Belts (Shichikyu level) in class on Saturday morning (1/25/14).

    Rank testing is conducted once per month at the dojo.  A promotion ceremony is held after the test for those students moving up to their Green Belt or Brown Belt.  All other promotions are awarded at the student’s next class.

  • Congratulations!

    Congratulations to Sensei Bob Cote, who recently passed his LPN Board Exam and earned his LPN certification!  We are all proud of you, Sensei!

  • 2014 Goals

    At the First Night of Training 2014, Hanshi Baker challenged the students to set goals for what they want to accomplish this year.  Students and instructors wrote (and are still writing) their goals on the dojo whiteboard.  Here are some examples…

    • I will do each of my kata at least once per week.  [Black Belt]
    • I want to be a Sankyu (1st Degree Brown Belt).  [Green Belt]
    • I want to do Tae Kiyoko Gedan 200 times in a year.  [Green Belt]
    • To DO more and try less.  [Green Belt]
    • I want to learn 10 more Tae Kiyoko.  [Green Belt]
    • To be healthier & to learn & be wiser.  [Blue Belt]
    • To do my very best in every class.  [Black Belt]
    • I want to do 10,000 sit-ups in 2014.  [Blue Belt]
    • I want to be a Green Belt by the end of the year.  [Purple Belt]
    • To earn my Black Belt this year.  [Brown Belt]
    • I want to learn all the Tae Kiyokos.  [Green Belt]
    • I want to do a ten-by-ten this year.  [Brown Belt]
    • I wish to become a Brown Belt.  [Green Belt]
    • I want to be a Nikyu (2nd Degree Brown Belt) by the end of 2014.  I also want to do 15 of each Tae Kiyoko daily.  [Green Belt]
    • Shiko Dachi will become my favorite stance.  [Blue Belt]
    • 100 classes by Oct. 1, 2014.  [Black Belt]
    • Make Gokyu (2nd Degree Green Belt) in Kobudo.  [Black Belt]
    • To be a white-yellow belt in weapons.  [Blue Belt]
    • To be invited to join the weapons class.  [Brown Belt]
    • I want to be an orange belt by the end of the year.  [Yellow Belt]
    • I want to be a Brown Belt before my brother comes back.  [Green Belt]
    If you haven’t set a goal for yourself for this year, what are you waiting for?  What do you want to accomplish this year?  Add your goal to the board!